February 15, 2023

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) at its extraordinary meeting on February 13 approved by a majority vote the new regulation which extends the operating life of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years. It was very unusual for the NRA to decide on an important matter like this by just a majority vote.

Among five NRA commissioners, Ishiwatari Akira, who examines quake- and tsunami-related countermeasures, was the only person who opposed the proposed revision.

As the reason for his opposition, Ishiwatari pointed out that the new rule is “not based on the latest findings in science and technology” and that the introduction of such a rule “cannot be called a shift to safety.”

Under the new rule, suspension periods caused by the NRA’s safety checkups and other factors will be excluded from the total operating life. In this regard, Ishiwatari said that in many cases, the NRA’s safety inspections take a long time owing to power companies’ inadequacies. Nevertheless, he added, the operating life will be extended as a result of prolonged inspections, which is “unacceptable”.

Some commissioners, despite their support for the new rule, expressed a question about ways to proceed with discussions on this matter. Sugiyama Tomoyuki said, “As members of an independent organ, we should have spent more time before making a decision.” Ban Nobuhiko said, “Taking a vote felt strange to me.”

NRA Chairman Yamanaka Shinsuke said, “As the draft revision was on a deadline for submission to the Diet, we had no choice but to take a vote.”

Past related article:
> Use of over 60-year-old NPPs is reckless in quake- and tsunami-prone Japan [February 10, 2023]